The Edmonton Oilers have to make some significant moves this summer. After making back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, the club regressed in 2025-26. Free agency, however, may not provide Edmonton with what it is looking for. Instead, the Oilers are more likely to target trades for players under contract or even restricted free agents.
The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell is predicting that Edmonton will eye Dallas Stars forward Mavrik Bourque in the coming weeks. Bourque is set to be a restricted free agent in the offseason. As a result, any club interested in the budding star has to extend a qualifying offer to the player. If Bourque likes the offer, the two teams would then have to work out compensation.
“The Oilers must get younger, and an offer sheet to Mavrik Bourque of the Dallas Stars brings in a skill winger for a second-round pick compensation,” writes Mitchell. “He’s 24, and young enough to grow with wingers Matt Savoie, Vasily Podkolzin and [Isaac] Howard. The Oilers would have the kind of youth on the wings that represents quality and depth, a sure sign of a substantial future.”
Dallas would normally love to re-sign Bourque this summer. After all, the versatile forward recently posted a career-high 41 points in 2025-26 and is only getting better. Nevertheless, the Stars have limited funds to work with and still have to give superstar Jason Robertson a new contract. Dallas seemingly cannot afford to keep both players and would likely prefer Robertson.
Mavrik Bourque Would Give the Edmonton Oilers a Solid Second Line
GettyAcquiring Mavrik Bourque would be a good start to the offseason for the Edmonton Oilers.
Like the Stars, the Edmonton Oilers are also dealing with financial restraints. According to Puckpedia.com, the club has just over $14 million in projected cap space heading towards the 2026-27 season. However, the Oilers also have several roster holes to fill. Because of this, general manager Stan Bowman has to be careful with spending this summer.
It was recently revealed that Edmonton could also target a trade for Ottawa Senators forward Stephen Halliday. The young forward is not exactly as highly rated as Bourque, but he would be cheaper and potentially easier to grab. Nevertheless, it is possible for the Oilers to eye both deals in the offseason.
According to Mitchell, Edmonton could potentially land Bourque with an offer sheet of $4.1 million. If so, the newly acquired forward would likely be deployed on the second line alongside superstar Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin. The Russian also recently posted a career-high in points this season with 37.
Edmonton Will Have Competition for Bourque
While the Edmonton Oilers would likely love to target Bourque, they will not be alone. Several other NHL teams around the league are expected to make a move for the budding star if he does not sign an extension in Dallas. The Detroit Red Wings were recently linked with a possible move for Bourque. Detroit currently has more money to work with than Edmonton, too.
Nevertheless, potentially grabbing Bourque would be a solid start to Edmonton’s offseason. The Oilers need more skillful players to help out Connor McDavid and Draisaitl, and they need to get younger. Edmonton only had two players under the age of 25 to score more than 10 points on the recent campaign.
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